(IL) Secession from Cook, the revolt may finally kick off

The last straw (finally)? Palatine, Burr Ridge and Hoffman Estates; there are 20 villages with a significant population that are partly or mostly in other counties but Palatine is entirely within Cook...home values (therefore potential property tax $$$) in these is higher than average, so I see the welcome wagons rolling out soon...possibly November as a referendum?

This would be one way of Hoffman/Cabela's escaping the latest Cook County anti-gun proposals; if enough villages pull out, Cook's borders could roll back to Chicago, and the socialist experiment will finally be contained. Fewer dollars for Daley to push anti-gun proposals; loss of influence as Chicago falls apart...

Story (http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=148366&src=1)

Believing Cook County has become too large for its own good, Palatine Councilman Jack Wagner is floating the idea of starting a new county for communities in the Northwest suburbs.

Though few think the idea has real chance of succeeding, the call to secede comes days after Cook County commissioners agreed to raise the county sales tax to cover a budget deficit.

Many suburban officials believe that puts towns that border other counties at a distinct disadvantage.

"The county I think has outgrown itself," Wagner said. "I think it would be reasonable for Cook County to downsize."

Wagner is suggesting that the Northwest suburbs could break away from Cook County and form a new "Lincoln County."

It's not the first time the idea has been broached.

"This is the third time this balloon has been floated," Palatine Mayor Rita Mullins said. "It is a good idea, but I don't think it is something we can achieve."

In the 1970s, then-Mayor Wendell Jones proposed detaching six Northwest Cook County townships -- Palatine, Hanover, Barrington, Schaumburg, Elk Grove and Wheeling -- to form Lincoln County. He wanted relief from the bureaucracy of Cook County.

The practical problem in trying to secede, Mullins said Wednesday, is that all Cook County residents, not just those that would be part of a breakaway, would have to agree to the move.

"It isn't a decision that Palatine or Schaumburg or Schaumburg Township can just make by themselves," she said.

Last week, Cook County commissioners voted to increase the county sales tax by 1 percentage point, which in Palatine, will raise the total sale tax to 10 percent. That is 3 percentage points higher than some Lake County communities.

"People can just go across the street and get the same thing for cheaper," Mullins said. "It makes it difficult for economic development on (the Cook) side."

While there has been no talk of secession in Barrington, Village President Karen Darch said officials there are concerned about the sales-tax increase since half the village is in Cook County and the other half is in Lake.

"Right in town here we have that crazy situation," she said. "It concerns me to have that type of disparity."

County commissions also say the secession idea is not very practical.

"I understand their frustration," said Commissioner Mike Quigley, who voted against the tax increase.

Still, Quigley said, invoking Abraham Lincoln, the namesake of the potential breakaway county: "A county divided upon itself cannot stand. We're all in this together."

Quigley said there would be monumental problems, like where prisoners would be housed and who would run the courts, not to mention finding someone to be the coroner.

Gregg Goslin, the Republican county commissioner who represents Palatine, said he's not opposed to the move in principle, but thinks the big hurdle is cost.

"The rest of it is just law -- that can be determined. But I'd like to know what the fiscal impact of it would be," he said.

Practically speaking, Goslin said, "I think it would be extremely difficult to make that happen."

While he understands there are obstacles, Wagner said he still thinks it is something worth pursuing.

"It would seem like it is something worthwhile to look into," he said.

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DWARREN123

March 8, 2008, 02:57 AM

Hope they get it.

Eightball

March 8, 2008, 03:03 AM

Dang. The third time this idea's been floated since the 70s, and Chicago still doesn't get it? That's sad.

Robert Hairless

March 8, 2008, 10:45 PM

Would Mayor Daley send out his troops to prevent this secession?

JeremySmith

March 9, 2008, 12:32 AM

Nah- That crook likes to work under cover of night, like when he had Meigs Feild destroyed overnight. He'll figure out some other way to prevent. Probably back-alley deals and payoffs....Welcome to Chicago!

Anotherguy

March 9, 2008, 03:15 PM

It was actually Meigs Field that he sent his heavy equipment over to destroy the runways in the dead of night but your main point still stands; the guys a creep.

Johnnybgood

March 9, 2008, 08:01 PM

If they could figure out a way to do it I would go door to door to get signatures until the cows came home, and then some.

Len S

March 9, 2008, 11:21 PM

The problem is that the REST of the county gets to vote on wether or not towns can leave the county. I think if the town wants to leave it should be a vote by the members of the town but what do I know. If anyone thinks that the rest of the county will let the cash cows go they are crazy. Most of suburban crook county get very little from the county. The county health system is in they heart of Chicago. Look at a map. County hosp is on 290 and Ashland or Damen or between actually. Look at the suburbs in question WAY to the north and west. So you have a group of towns paying through the nose and getting very little in return. The city and other suburbs get a lot and most of the people, pay very little. Do the math. Crook county can not let the rich towns out of servitude. If all the self supporting suburbs got together to get each other out of the mess Maybe but I still think Chicago and the collar towns (sewers) will not let them go.

Len

foghornl

March 11, 2008, 03:20 PM

Sales Tax in Crook (ahhhhhh Cook) County is 10% ? ? ? ? ?

Wow, that even tops Cuyahoga County (Cleveland, OH) at 7.75% last time I looked.

rocinante

March 11, 2008, 10:27 PM

I always thought Chicago and Illinois has a lot of similarities to Atlanta and Georgia. A really big city in a largely rural state. Fulton County includes Atlanta and a more affluent northern part of the county. Actually the northern part use to be a separate county of Milton but Fulton incorporated it during the depression. Always a lot of tension between North Fulton and Atlanta because the North felt they were getting the shaft and the taxes flowed toward the south Fulton and Atlanta. Seemed pretty hopeless until the Republicans took over a few years and the rest of the state seemed to back the North Fulton as a kind of frustrated backlash against Atlanta. So far the North hasn't been able to split off into a separate county altogether but what did happen is all the unincorporated Fulton County areas incorporated into cities. This severely impacted the money flow to Fulton County. North Fulton has hope it will eventually revert back to being Milton County again.

Lesson is with the right political backing from the rest of the state the colossal city can be managed. We don't have anything quite as organized as Daly in Atlanta though.

MFH

March 12, 2008, 09:26 AM

Could this be done as a state-wide referendum to form a new county? That way we could all vote on it. Or, is it possible for part of one county to annex into another?

By the way, would a state-wide ballot initiative for concealed carry be possible?

MFH

IllHunter

March 12, 2008, 02:14 PM

Would county lines be determinable in a constitutional convention, I know precinct lines are, wards etc too. Inot why not?:confused:

230RN

March 12, 2008, 03:06 PM

Could this be done as a state-wide referendum to form a new county? That way we could all vote on it. Or, is it possible for part of one county to annex into another?

The new Broomfield County in Colorado was formed by the Legislative Process. Not identical situation, but more or less sorta kinda parallel.

From:

http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~sabthomp/colorado/broomfield/cobr.htm

BROOMFIELD COUNTY, COLORADO

HISTORY HOMEPAGE

Broomfield County is Colorado's newest county, formed by statute in November 1998. It encompasses part of Adams, Boulder, Jefferson and Weld Counties.

And from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broomfield,_Colorado

History
The municipality of Broomfield was incorporated in 1961 in the southeastern corner of Boulder County. It received its name from the broomcorn grown in the area. Over the next three decades, the city grew through annexations, many of which crossed the county line into three adjacent counties: Adams, Jefferson and Weld. In the 1990s, city leaders began to push for the creation of a separate county to avoid the inefficiencies of dealing with four separate court districts, four different county seats (each a considerable distance away), and four separate county sales tax bases. It also had longstanding political differences with Boulder County, which impelled it to separate. Broomfield reasoned that it could provide services more responsively under its own county government, and sought an amendment to the Colorado State Constitution to create a new county. The amendment passed in 1998, after which a three-year transition period followed. On November 15, 2001, Broomfield County became the 64th, newest and smallest, county of Colorado. (Underlining mine -230RN)

You will note the remark about differences with Boulder County CO, which is known to be, with no slander or libel possible, pretty Leftist.

Unfortunately, I was involved with other things at the time and cannot give nitty-gritty details on the process.

Don't know if this helps or hinders, but there it is.

-- Terry

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